Article June 21, 1982 Issue

Community service and our local paper

RAIF MARKARIAN

Local papers are often accused of attempting to boost their sales by giving a disproportionate amount of space to stories of crime, disaster, and misfortune. The coverage of items "of good report" ^{Phil. 4:8.} suffers as a consequence.

For many years such negative coverage tempted me to behave like the priest and Levite in Christ Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan and pass by "on the other side," ^{Luke 10:31.} that is, to put the paper down quickly, not to look or get involved.

A regular reader of The Christian Science Monitor, I appreciated the spiritual basis supporting it. As Mrs. Eddy, its founder, writes, "The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind." ^{The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 353.} I often wondered whether local papers might not do more for their communities by adopting a similar approach. But our local paper showed no sign of a move in that direction. I contemplated canceling my and restricting my reading to high-class publications. But I wasn't happy about this plan and prayed for guidance.